Why Prototyping is an Important Part of Web Design
It won’t come as a surprise that the importance of user experience in digital products has been growing over the past few years. Even traditional businesses that just recently turned digital are investing heavily into building internal design teams and instantiating roles such as Chief Experience Officer to constantly raise the bar for user experience. In fact, 94% of consumers quote easy website or app navigation as one of the key factors for determining whether or not to use a service or buy a product. Therefore, how easy and delightful your website is has a direct effect on how well your business does.
How does one get to that amazing user experience? It starts with heavy research, analysis of the competition and best practices, client interviews, and …prototyping, lots of it.
Prototyping is an excellent way to test different UX approaches with customers, get the entire team on the same page when it comes to expected functionality, and also make important product level decisions.
If you want to know why prototyping is one of the most important factors in developing a stellar user experience, then we’ve got just the thing for you. Here are four reasons that highlight how vital prototyping is to the entire product development process.
1. It Gauges Feasibility
Prototyping essentially helps developers identify what they can and cannot do, and it allows them to see their work in action. Doing so gives the developers a better idea of what aspects of the initial concept are feasible given the resources and time that they have to work with. This is why we take prototyping seriously, as our web design and development experts always aim to create complex and interactive websites that push the limits of feasibility. Now, complications at this stage aren’t too worrisome as it’s a great opportunity to make changes that will save a lot of time and resources in the long run.
2. It Boosts the Quality of the Website
Prototyping also lets developers fine-tune the website to boost the site’s overall quality and usability before launch. During the prototyping stage, developers can conduct tests regarding the site’s usability, which includes checking whether or not the site is easy to navigate. At this stage, it is also rather easy to spot any errors when it comes to the visual assets of a website.
3. It Promotes Improvements in Design
Since prototypes reveal the initial flaws in the design, it also makes it easier to improve the website quickly and efficiently. This is important as time and resource management are both vital aspects of website design and development.
4. It Allows for Further Discussions and User Research
Going through the prototyping stage allows for more discussions on the final product. The prototype lets the developers see the entire picture and can help them make changes that will inform final development decisions. Prototyping also allows for user research and testing. By having someone from your target market use a prototype of the final website, you gain access to focused and valuable feedback that can be used to further improve the website.
Conclusion
We hope this article has shed some light on the importance of prototyping in product development. While it may seem like a lot of work at first, the many advantages make prototyping well worth it. Indeed, prototyping sets you up for success as it allows you to put out the best possible website!